No Washing Up Ham, Egg & Cheese Bread Bowls

The only thing I hate more than a sink full of dirty dishes is WASHING a sink full of dirty dishes. So this post is dedicated to everyone who hates doing the dishes as much as I do!

“Perfect for feeding an army. You can make ahead, eat it with your hands and I swear, there is not a single dish or pan or utensil to be washed!”

In my next life, I hope to be reborn with slim hands and long, elegant fingers instead of pudgy, midget hands. My friends call me “Baby Hands”. Truly! I do everything I can to avoid “hand shots”, but sometimes it just has to be done.

Enough about my Baby Hands, let’s put the focus back on the food. If I wrote this post like my other posts, it would go on for pages as I ranted on and on about why I think these bread bowls are so nifty. So I’m going to do both of us a favour and simply list out the pros and cons!

PROS

1. NO WASHING UP – no pots, no pans, no baking tray, no cutting board, no bowls. These are baked wrapped in foil which you need to do otherwise the bread roll burns before the egg cooks. The only kitchen equipment you’ll use is a knife to cut the top off the rolls. If you’re as lazy as me, you’ll just run a dishcloth along the blade and put it right back in the knife rack!2. FAST TO MAKE – it will take you all of 4 minutes to assemble 4 to pop into the oven. Possibly 3 minutes. And if you like your yolks really runny like I do, these will be out of the oven in 10 minutes.3. EAT WITH YOUR HANDS – just like a burger!4. FEED A CROWD – FAST. You can make loads in one go – as many as you can fit in your oven!

If you like cheesy bread, you will also love this Cheese and Garlic Crack Bread (Pull Apart Bread)!

5. MAKE AHEAD. Yes, you really can! The only thing is to make sure the bread bowls are properly lined with ham to stop the egg from seeping through to the bread. Just assemble completely and wrap with foil, then leave them in the fridge until you need them. Then pop them in the oven!6. VERSATILE. Get creative! These are pretty boring – just ham, eggs and cheese. Fill it with whatever you want! The only thing to ensure is that you line the bread with ham so the egg doesn’t soak straight into the bread. I tried making these with bacon once but because it is thicker and not as pliable (especially after you fry it), you can’t mould it into the bowl as well so I struggled to make enough space for even an egg, let alone anything else.7. BUDGET. Ham is cheaper than bacon. And you don’t need to use any fancy bread for this. Just ordinary bread rolls. Even stale is fine. Once stuffed and baked, you won’t be able to tell if they are fresh or stale bread.8. FOOD ON THE GO. Because you can eat this with your hands, it’s great for on the go! I was munching on this while wandering around packing up the props after taking the photo!9. GREAT FOR A CAMP OUT. Can you imagine how great this would be cooked over a campfire?? Just place it on the edge of the fire near (not on) hot coals. The foil traps the heat well and it will cook in no time!10. ONLY 339 CALORIES PER SERVING. Believe it. It’s only 1 bread roll, 1 egg, 1 small slice of ham and 2 tbsp of cheese. Actually, I just realised it’s less than 339 calories because I didn’t factor in that the centre of the bread roll is removed.11. SO, SO TASTY. Why I haven’t put this as #1 is beyond me!

“This is a great way to use up bread rolls that are slightly stale. Once stuffed and baked, no one would ever be able to tell whether the rolls are fresh or not!”

CONS

1. Eerm….no greens? Though I DID add a sprinkle of parsley. Isn’t that enough?

OK, so perhaps I’m being completely pig-headed by not coming up with more cons. I am the excitable type and can get blindsided. So if you’re the sensible type and can think of more “cons”, leave a comment below and I’ll update the list!

Aren’t my wrapping skills shocking? You should see the presents I wrap! Well, you won’t, because I won’t ever be showing you!

Love to hear what you think, or any other suggestions you might have for other fillings! Just leave a comment below and I’ll be sure to respond :).

4.8 from 75 votes

Print

No Washing Up Ham, Egg & Cheese Bread Bowls

Prep Time

5mins

Cook Time

15mins

Total Time

20mins

A great "no washing up" breakfast idea that's perfect for feeding a crowd because you can make ahead and cook a lot at the same time. Recipe video below!

Course:
Breakfast, Brunch

Servings: 4

Calories: 415kcal

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats

Ingredients

4bread rolls(soft or crusty)

4small slices of ham, or 2 big ones cut in half

4eggs, at room temperature

1/2cupshredded mozzarella cheese

1tbspfresh parsley, finely chopped (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180C/350F.

Cut the tops off the bread rolls.

Scoop out the centre and reserve (see notes for ideas to use). To be neat, use a small knife to cut a round outline before scooping out the centre.

Line the bread bowl with a layer of ham. Try to use one whole piece if you can because then there is less chance of egg seeping through and being soaked up by the bread.

Crack in an egg.

Top each with 2 tbsp of mozzarella cheese and a sprinkle of parsley (optional).

Put the top back on each roll. Wrap with foil and place in oven to bake for ~15 to 25 minutes. Take a peek at 20 minutes to check them. 20 minutes = runny yolks. 25 minutes + = just cooked yolks. (See notes for more information)

Remove from oven, unwrap and serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

1. You need to use lunch-size bread rolls for this, not small dinner rolls as they are too small.

2. You can add whatever fillings you want. Just be sure to line the bread with ham otherwise the egg will soak into the bread.

3. I have tried this with bacon before but because it is less pliable than ham, I found that it didn't work as well because I couldn't mould it into the bread bowl very well which left less room for the egg. It might work better with bacon using a large bread roll.

5. MAKE AHEAD: Use round thin slices of ham like what I use that fit into the bread bowl so it lines it neatly, then add egg and cheese and refrigerate until required and bake per recipe. It doesn't work as well using shaved slices of ham because the ham doesn't form a seal in the bread bowl.

6. I've had a few readers say that it took longer to cook for the egg to set. The cooking time will be impacted by the following:a) Your oven. Mine is a fan forced oven which cooks food faster than normal ovens.b) How many you are making - the more you are making, the longer it will take.c) How thick the bread bowl walls are. The thicker the wall, the longer it will take for the heat to get to the centre of the bread to cook the egg. I made mine quite thin - about 1cm/1/3".d) The type of bread you are using. A dense bread like a sourdough will take longer. I used soft standard bread rolls.e) Whether the eggs are at room temperature or are cold, straight out of the fridge.

The best way to use spinach in something like this is to use frozen spinach, thawed, drained and all the moisture squeezed out. To get all the moisture out I start by squeezing with my hand then put it on a couple of layers of paper towels. Flatten out the spinach and put a couple more layers of paper towels. Keep pressing, changing paper towels as needed.

I haven’t tried this yet but I can tell I’m going to love this recipe!

Hi there!
I rarely ever leave posts, for this recipe though, I had to! Nagi I’m so happy I stumbled upon your site! I made the ham-egg-cheese bread bowl and it was awesome!! Who doesn’t love food served in bread bowls??? I’ve often eaten chowder in a bread bowl; breakfast was just as good!
Thanks for sharing your creative ideas and recipes, keep them coming.
Sincerely,
Shawn

Number 5 under “PROS”. MAKE AHEAD. Yes, you really can! The only thing is to make sure the bread bowls are properly lined with ham to stop the egg from seeping through to the bread. Just assemble completely and wrap with foil, then leave them in the fridge until you need them. Then pop them in the oven!

*Head smack!* Thanks Tamu, my head space is still Christmas leftover ham which is find of shaved so it doesn’t provide a tight seal in the bread bowls! Just updated the recipe with make ahead notes 🙂 N x

I think what the person may be referring to is this. MAKE AHEAD. Yes, you really can! The only thing is to make sure the bread bowls are properly lined with ham to stop the egg from seeping through to the bread. Just assemble completely and wrap with foil, then leave them in the fridge until you need them. Then pop them in the oven!

Thanks for reminding me Bobbie!! My brain is still in Christmas ham leftover mode 🙂 I wasn’t thinking about the round ham slices I usually use in this recipe! I added a make ahead note in the recipe. Thank you again! N xx

I love you and don’t even know you! Your sense of humor alone is enough to make me read your blog! I even try to imagine it in an Australian accent. 🙂 I’m not a fan of cooking, but you have gotten me excited about it! I can’t wait to try your recipes, but am wondering…Why aren’t you on any of the cable cooking channels??!!! They are crazy to not have hired you yet! (Yes, all my exclamation points are meant to be there…I can’t help but be excited about finding your blog! oops, there I go again…)
Colorado Kerry

Don’t imagine my Aussie accent!!! The Aussie accent is really crass, I really prefer the American accent (shhhh, very disloyal of me to say that!!) Love the excessive use of !, I actually had someone write in once to say that they found my excessive use of exclamation marks DISTRACTING, ba ha ha!!!!! N xx